Becoming Legend

Chapter 65: Resolve

Ned stood close to the barrier to start.

Soon after, flashing light confined his figure. After a moment of solitude and an eye-blinding light. Ned's body was covered with a whitish-grey and sleek looking metal. Making him looked more intimidating.

Sir Edwin tilted his head to look at Ned, thinking how crazy he was. Bedazzled, the knight fell to silent when he saw Ned's armor covered his body. It wasn't just his body. Down from neck, till his feet, Ned was covered.

[Notice: Platinum Armor equipped.]

[Platinum Armor: A standard trooper armor. Once equipped, the bearer can withstand physical attacks from Magical Creatures Graded SSS and below. Its material, Platinum, was mined from the back of Ondduleh; a space turtle.]

Plat Armor. Ned smiled thoughtfully.

[How was it? To wear the suit again?]

ICE asked, in a pleasing tone.

It feels, light. Isn't this the first issue of the suit?

[Yes. Calahir must have stored some as collectibles. So expect little from it.]

This antique seems too overpowered, no? Asked Ned. Making a mental note from what ICE had said.

[Well, it is Plat Armor after all.]

"Knight, would you unlink your Mana off the Barrier?" Asked Ned. Looking behind his shoulder, he saw the knight perplexed. Ned smiled. "Just do it."

For Diamond Level hunters, killing ghouls and alghouls was like hunting Rabbi'sa walk in the park. But for Sir Edwin. With his current situation, he might have a hard time breaking one or two claw of a ghoul, even lifting an arm he can't do. But Ned asked him to shut the Barrier off. The only thing that keeping them safe from dozens of terror. He must be insane, or no, the knight thought, he's insane to believe a gradeless, coreless, thirteen-year-old kid. That looked like to be playing hero, cause his mama bought him a new toy. Yes, the knight thought, he's insane. Not the kid. "I will die, anyway. So Fuck Moraki! Why not," Sir Edwin muttered madly. With a flick of his thought, the barrier that surrounds them vanished, starting from the top of the dome.

Ned squatted. Placed his right foot behind and shifted his weight into it and leaned forward. Making him looked like he was about to run on a track.

After the barrier vanished. Sir Edwin saw Ned's figure blurred.

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"How was it?" Ned asked with confidence.

Sir Edwin turned his head opposite to where Ned's blurry figure. His eyes enlarged when he realized that Ned was already beside him, hands bleed - but the knight was sure it wasn't his. An exhaust of smoke fumed from his feet. Meters of six apart, but Ned was already beside him. Ned moved too fast that his figure left a blurry image and burnt the ground with his feet. "Too fast, might be Silver. No, Gold," mumbled the knight. "What happened to you, Ned?"

"None of your concern," replied Ned. Didn't even bothered to look at the knight.

Sir Edwin closed his eyes and left the rest to Ned. "Tell me when you're done," he said. Not a command, but a plea.

[Too slow. Six ghouls and three alghoul for 0.08 second.]

ICE answered. Shifting her tone wittingly.

Pulling there head off with my bare hand took a toll. It would be much faster with a sword. Replied Ned mentally.

Nearly six seconds have passed. Thirty-six mindless beasts; gone, perished, and unrecognizable.

Energy consumed?

[Three percent.]

Ned smiled, faintly. Not even noticeable.

After Ned wiped clean the horde, he took Sir Edwin on his back. And drifted the once teeming with life town - years will pass and people will call this a ruin.

Passing along the field where Ned and Sir Edwin once fought the Devourer. Ned remembered something. "Knight," he said. "Where's my sword?"

The Knight, who's not sure if thankful because of how he was being carried by Ned, answered in a low and raspy voice. "No time to carry it, but I'm sure it was still there."

Ned pondered, thinking he might come back after he settled the knight.

Ned, jumping from building to another, realized that the town was empty. Not even a single life he had seen.

From time to time, Ned encountered a horde but was easily overcome by his strengthif not, annihilated.

From the town, through the market, going to the Grieving Woods will take almost double an hour on foot. But with Ned's speed, he predicted it would take him no less than an hour.

Exiting the market, midway the forest. Although exhausted, and near to lifeless. Sir Edwin can't contain his curiosity and asked Ned. "Where are you taking me?" His blood dripped from the breeze poking his face. "With my condition, I'm beyond saving kid, not even the top healer of the Kingdom could save me. I'm..." He paused. "Beyond all these. I'm ready to die, Ned."

Ned leaped trees after trees. Making sure no one is following them. Wearing his armor, the knight could still notice his shoulder shuddered. "Not under my watch."

"Not under my what?" confused, the knight asked. "Your words, accent, it seems that, your someone of no culture. Where are you from?"

"From a place, I'm not longing to," Ned replied nonchalantly.

The Knight scoffed. "A while back, you know what happened to you? You came back from the dead," Sir Edwin said, and smiled. "Maker of Dead Moraki sure is pissed now!"

"You people talked about Maker, Creator, The Only One, The True G... " Ned paused, wanting to add more, but he felt reserved. "Yet have they ever done something good about the people? Look around you, thousands dead. But where is your Maker? Please, tell me I'm wrong, but somewhere in this world, millions are dying. Not because they are slaughtered, or raped, but because they are starving. Starving. And where is your Maker?"

The Knight paused. Somewhere inside him, the kid, no, Ned was right. He had been fighting his entire life. Monsters and humans alike. But to what point? Fame? Recognition? To be recognized by their Maker. Whom he, himself, wasn't sure if the Maker's did really exist. If so, why the killing? Why the Gates? Why starve? The knight wanted to add more of his thoughts when Ned abruptly stopped him.

"We're here," Ned said.

The Knight noticed forest, the usual. Nothing special. Trees, grass, rocks, stream nearby. "There's nothing worth notable here," he muttered. Lifting his head off Ned's back, surveying his surroundings.

"Then Master was right hiding my pod here," Ned remarked. Ned jumped off the branch and landed with his suit making a print on the ground.

"The pod," Sir Edwin asked, stressing the word pod, "of yours. Will it make me recover? Was it an Artifact that could reverse everything that happened to me?" He said mockingly.

"No, but it"

"But, what? Look at me! Why give me hope! Let me die!" Bellowed the knight. Saliva spilled on Ned's suit. Veins popping on the Knight's forehead. Ned could feel his breathing rapid.

"Hold your horses, Edwin," interrupted Ned. Plain, non-caring, and flat voice.

"Why, Ned, why are you doing this?"

Ned walked, he did not bother to answer the Knight. His face remained motionless with his eyes looking at the narrow gap ahead. Two rock, enough for two people to fit, passed by Ned. Inside the gap. There lies the cave where his pod remained hidden.

Inside, the knight noticed an empty and eye shutting dark of the cave. Instinct told him that something was hidden inside the cave. But with no Mana to spend, it was impossible for him to detect the illusion. Seeing end brushing along the wall, he was sure that Ned was hiding something. "What are we doing here, Ned? You going to hide me to death?"

Sensing that the knight was becoming a nuisance, Ned knelt to put the knight leaning against the wall.

Along came the dark, was Ned's voice. Echoed inside the cave. "Barrier and Illusion Runes, level four and two respectively," Ned said.

"If your Master combined two runes, then it's an Array, kid. You can't undo the Array without your Master's Mana, even if you find where the Runes are unless you find the weak spot. Which is... in my case, proved to be"

The knight wasn't even finished when a wall cracked and dissolve, then a faint light emitted. Making the cave somewhat clear.

Inside the hollow cave, the pod floated the same. Beneath was a sleek metallic exterior, at the top was covered with glass, appeared visibly clear.

Ned pushed open the glass covering and carried the knight inside. It surprised Sir Edwin beyond belief of what he was seeing. An object or vessel, not even the Kingdom could create. "Isashil! What is this!" Too much force made him puke blood.

Without care, Ned put the knight inside.

Connected to his system, it warned Ned with a series of chimes.

[Warning: Unknown life detected.]

[Notice: Extermination sequence will start in 3, 2 -

Wait! Abort! Abort! Ned cried out his thoughts.

Abort successful.]

That was close. Ned sighed. ICE analyze the subject.

[Notice: Analyzing subject.]

[Notice: Analyze Complete.]

[Ned, results show he fractured most of his bones. Skull, eight of his ribs, pelvis, organs, lung, liver, and dozens of bruises and cuts externally. Blood loss at a critical level. Mana almost used up. And Life Energy fell critically.]

[Pod's energy, if left alone, is enough to last for over fifty years. Activating Cryonics will reduce its energy to ten years. With cryonics, it will suspend time for the subject. And the pod will maintain the subject's current state. Some bruises and cuts will recover, but that's it. Some features include barriers; that will protect the subject inside. And signal the Empire. Another feature of the pod is to transform into a war machine; attached with weapons created by Calahir himself.]

"Ned, what is this thing?" Asked the knight.

It satisfied Ned with the series of information from ICE. Looking at the Knight, Ned leaned forward. "Before, I said that dying was just like sleeping, well, this works the same. Inside, you'll just sleep until I decided not to. Also, this works the same as Praha's Cubejust with fewer rules," Ned said and continue. "You will remain inside for ten years, you will not die, nor recover. When I get back, I'll take my chances and I may have someone to heal you. Now, I'll be the one asking you any last words?"

Receiving the information from Ned. Sir Edwin was taken aback. To think Ned would give him another chance to live. To think his life would play under the hands of a kid, his rival's student. He wasn't sure anymore. "Why? Why do all these for me? I almost killed your Master, I even decided to kill you back then, so why?"

[Are you sure you're doing this, Ned?]

This is my chance. My blood boils seeing him! Ned cursed mentally. He closed his eyes, gripped the edge of the pod, breathed deep, raises his shoulders, and said. "Knight. Remember this before you go to sleep. I will prepare for the day we meet again, I'll become strong and I want you to be fully recovered when I snatch that head of yours. For vengeance is best served cold."